X-ray table having a plurality of pairs of slings with oppositely windable members



P. W. KOK

X-RAY TABLE HAVING A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF SLINGS WITH OPPOSITELY WINDABLE MEMBERS Sheet of 2 Filed Oct. 22, 1965 INVENTOR.

PIETER W. KOK Mia 1? BY i1 AGE June 10, 1969 P. w. KOK 3,449,570

X-RAY TABLE HAVING A PLURALITY OF PAIRS 0F SLINGS WITH OPPOSITELY WINDABLE MEMBERS Filed Oct. 22. 1965 Sheet 3 of 2 Fig.5

INVENTOR.

PIETER W. KOK

BY m 2% AGE T United States Patent 3,449,570 X-RAY TABLE HAVING A PLURALITY 0F PAIRS 0F SLINGS WITH OPPOSITELY WINDABLE MEMBERS Pieter W. Kok, New Milford, N.J., assignor, by mesne assignments to US. Philips Corporation, New York, N..Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 501,247 Int. Cl. G01n 23/00 U.S. Cl. 25054 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A patient support for X-ray examination devices is constructed of a material transparent to X-rays and provided with .a bottom support and a pair of opposite side supports. The side supports extend up from the bottom support by a distance exceeding the height of the center of gravity of the support when fully loaded. A plurality of pairs of flexible slings are used to secure the patient to the support. Each pair of slings constitutes two flexible members closely spaced to each other and windable in opposing directions about the patient.

This invention relates to a diagnostic examining table and more particularly to a rotating X-ray transparent, examining table having an effective support for a patient or other object to be examined.

For proper utilization and maximum effectiveness, an X-ray examining table must fulfill certain basic requirements. The table should be rotatable with respect to an X-ray tube; it should be translucent to the X-ray radiations, that is, it should present no obstacle to .a passing X-ray beam; it should support a patient comfortably; and the support mechanisms should be simple, effective, and similarly X-ray transparent.

In heart examinations particularly, a patient will be subjected to a high beam of X-rays of rather small dimension precisely directed through the patient. For this reason a relatively secure immobilizing form of support is required.

A difficulty encountered with prior art examining devices is that the supporting system is relatively cumbersome and a generally uncomfortable means by which to support a patient when the table is in an oblique position. Further, prior support slings of this type invariably require metal buckles or other X-ray opaque elements. Other difliculties arise in that slings or supports are usually fixed by mounting to the supporting table top, therefore resulting in a loss of adjustment flexibility which may be required between patients or objects of differing sizes.

It is therefore a prime object of this invention to provide a comfortable, effective, secure and entirely X-ray transparent rotating table top.

It is a further object of this invention to provide .a sling or support for patient retention which affords complete flexibility and adjustability.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a highly stable table top which will provide firm support for a patient over a wide angle of rotation.

These and further objects of the invention will appear in the accompanying specification and will be pointed out in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing which discloses, by way of example, the principle of the invention and the best mode contemplated of applying that principle.

In accordance with the underlying principle of our invention, an improved X-ray transparent cradle type table top and a novel multiple sling patient retention system are combined to form an effective patient support.

3,449,570 Patented June 10, 1969 The table top is deep and sharply curved in cross section so that the center of gravity of the table when loaded lies on or below a line between the edges of the cradle. A comfortable head support is provided as an integral part of the cradle, eliminating all neck and shoulder strain, even when the cradle is in an oblique position. The cradle is designed to be of minimum width to provide ease and freedom of rotation and may be constructed from a pair of molds with a foam plastic filling to combine rigidly and uniform X-ray transparency.

A sling system is provided utilizing pairs of self attaching tape strips. A main strip is installed down the longitudinal axis on the inside of the cradle while a similar strip runs along each exterior cradle edge. The slings themselves are of complementary strips of tape which are attached substantially orthogonally to the main strip .at any point along the cradle, wrapped about a patient, and terminated between any two edge strips.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 represents a cross sectional end view of the rotating table top of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 shows a longitudinal side view of the rotating table top of the present invention taken along the section 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 shows a perspective view of the rotating table top and sling system in a preferred embodiment.

FIGURE 4 shows a preferred construction of a cradle top taken along a section 33 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 shows a preferred construction of a cradle top taken along a section 44 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is illustrative of one form of self attaching tape.

Referring to the figures, there is shown a supporting table .10 which may be composed of any suitable X-ray transparent material such as a fiber glass, polystyrene or polyethelene, Bakelite or wood. The table itself may be a sectional or unitary supportng structure, having a pair of opposed side supports 10A and 10B, and a bottom support 10C. The table may be rotatable in any direction and through any angle, by any well known structure (not shown) for accomplishing such rotation.

A strip of self attaching tape 12, described in detail below in connection with FIGURE 6, is placed down the longitudinal central axis of the inner side of the bottom support 10C of the table top 10. A similar strip 14 is attached longitudinally along the left side outer edge 10B of the table top, and a further strip 16 is attached on opposite outer edge 10A. The cross section of the table top 10 is dished with a relatively steep curve so that the upper edges 18 and 20 thereof form a surface having a central axis lying on or somewhat above the center of gravity, C.G., illustrated by a point 22. This arrangement results in greater stability when a patient is positioned relatively obliquely or rotated.

As illustrated in FIGURES 2 and 3, a head support, indicated generally as 24, is provided as an integral portion of the table top and is designed to provide maximum patient comfort by eliminating all neck and shoulder strain, even when the table top is in an oblique position. The head support itself comprises a relatively narrow section 26 followed by a curved section having relatively high side walls for support of the head of the patient in oblique position.

A preferred construction of a cradle is illustrated in FIGURES 2, 4 and 5 which show views taken along the sections 22, 33, and 4-4 of FIGURE 1. The cradle comprises two pre-formed sheets of molded X-ray transparent material, preferably fiber glass or the like, bonded together at the opposing side support portions. The bottom portion sheets 10C are separated to form a relatively thicker or wider cross sectional area with respect to the opposing side supports. The separation between the sheets is filled with a foam plastic such as a polystyrene or similar substance having practically no X-ray absorption whatsoever. The result is a construction which has the advantage of strength and rigidity without the disadvantage of producing shadows because of a thicker cross-sectional area in one portion relative to other portions.

Turning now to FIGURES 2 and 3, one embodiment of providing multiple sling patient retention is illustrated as having a plurality of slings 30, 32, 34, and 36, each of which comprise a strip of self attaching tape similar to the strips already placed on the table. A strip which may be used in connection with the present invention is illustrated in FIGURE 6 may be of the self attaching tape variety, such as is manufactured under the trademark Velcro, and which comprises an upper section 38 having fixed thereto a plurality of hooks 40 of a relatively hard fabric such as plastic or some other suitable radio translucent material, arranged in a high degree of concentration along the inner side of the tape. A second complementary piece of tape 42 is provided with a plurality of fabric or other suitable radio transparent material loops 44 arranged in a high degree of concentration along the inner side of the tape so as to form an almost pile-like substance. The tape attaches merely by a slight pressure, a plurality of the hooks catching onto a substantial number of loops. Once attached, the self attaching tape will have a shear strength of approximately 8 pounds per square inch. By proper arrangement of these tapes as slings and support strips along the table top as illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2, and 3, a high degree of patient support in terms of weight limitations may be achieved. The tape may easily be released by direct manual disengagement.

Turning again to FIGURES 2 and 3, it is noted that the sling supports therein are arranged in paired circumferential opposition. For example, slings 30 and 32 are each attached in relative juxtaposition to one another but eircumferentially wound in opposite directions so as to provide maximum support for a patient in any oblique angular direction that the table may be rotated about its longitudinal axis. A second set of strips 34 and 36 are similarly attached to the table to provide further support in the same fashion. In accordance with the type of tape disclosed in FIGURE 4 the strips 30, 32, 34, and 36 may comprise the hook type Velcro illustrated as element 38 in FIGURE 4 while the strips 10, 12, and 14 may consist of the pile type Velcro illustrated as element 42 in FIGURE 4. To avoid twisting the tape, the ends of each of the sling strips may be cut, reversed, and sewn back on to the main strip.

It is understood that the slings may be wound in any fashion and attached at any point along the cradle between the strips 12, 14, and 16. It is further understood that the slings may take any form necessary to provide effective support. For example, a plurality of fabric material loops may be permanently or semi-permanently attached to the table by means of buckles or clasps. However, this would result in a loss of flexibility and ease of use, as well as a loss of X-ray quality if non-X-ray transparent material is employed.

While the invention has been described in connection With specific embodiments and applications thereof, other modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A loadable X-ray examining table comprising an object-supporting X-ray transparent surface having a bottom support and a pair of opposed side supports thereby defining an inner side and outer side, and a sling means securing an object on said table, said sling means comprising a plurality of pairs of relatively closely spaced flexible members, each of said members attached at one end thereof on the inner side of said bottom support and 4 at the other end to the outer side of either of said side supports, each member of said member pairs wound in opposing directions with respect to the other member 7 of said pair about said object, said flexible members each having means thereon cooperating with said table for detachable attachment to said table.

2. A loadable X-ray examining table comprising an object-supporting X-ray transparent surface having a bottom support and a pair of opposed unitary side supports thereby defining an inner side and outer side, each of said side supports extending from said bottom support by a distance exceeding the distance from the bottom support to the plane of the center of gravity of said table when said table is in a loaded condition, and a sling means for securing an object on said table, said sling means comprising a plurality of pairs of relatively closely spaced flexible members, each of said members attached at one end thereof on the inner side of said bottom support and at the other end to the outer side of either of said side supports, each member of said member pairs wound in opposing directions with respect to the other member of said pair about said object, said flexible members each having means thereon cooperating with said table for detachable attachment to said table.

3. The combination of claim 2 wherein said bottom and side supports comprise a first and second sheet of X-ray transparent material bonded together at said side supports, said bottom support sheet portions being sep arated to form a relatively thicker portion relative to said side supports, the space between said bottom support sheet portions being filled with a foam plastic material.

4. A loadable X-ray examining table comprising an object supporting X-ray transparent surface having a bottom support having an inner side and a pair of opposed side supports each having an outer side and each having an inner side contacting the inner side of said bottom support, an X-ray transparent self-attachable sling means for securing an object on said table, said sling means comprising a plurality of pairs of relatively closely spaced flexible members, each of said members attached at one end thereof on the inner side of said bottom support and at the other end to the outer side of either of said side supports, each member of said member pairs wound in opposing directions with respect to the other member of said pair about said object, and having self securing detachable attachment means thereon, and a complementary member having means thereon for detachably securing each of said sling members to said complementary member, a first portion of said complementary member permanently affixed along the inner side of said bottom support, and a second portion of said complementary member permanently aflixed along the outer side of each of said side supports, said flexible sling members being circumferentially wound about said object to provide secure support when attached to each of said complementary members.

5. A loadable X-ray examining table comprising an object supporting X-ray transparent surface having a bottom support having an inner side and a pair of opposed unitary side supports each having an outer side and having an inner side contacting the inner side of said bottom support, each of said side supports extending from said bottom support with a length terminating in a common plane lying beyond the distance from the bottom support to the center of gravity of said table when said table is in a loaded condition, an X-ray transparent self-attachable sling means for securing an object on said table, said sling means comprising a plurality of pairs of relatively closely spaced flexible members, each of said members attached at one end thereof on the inner side of said bottom support and at the other end to the outer side of either of said side supports, each member of said member pairs Wound in opposing directions with respect to the other member of said pair about said object, and having self securing detachable attachment means thereon, and a complementary member having means thereon for detachably securing each of said sling members to said complementary member, a first portion of said complementary member permanently affixed along the inner side of said bottom support, and a second portion of said complementary member permanently aflixed along the outer side of each of said side supports, said flexible sling members being circumferentially wound about said object to provide secure support when attached to each of said complementary members.

6. A loadable X-ray examining table comprising a patient-supporting X-ray transparent surface having a bottom support having an inner side and a pair of opposed unitary side supports each having an outer side and each having an inner side contacting the inner side of said bottom support, each of said side supports extending from said bottom support with a length terminating in a common plane lying beyond the distance from the bottom support to the center of gravity of said table when said table is in a loaded condition, an X-ray transparent selfattachable sling means for securing a patient on said table, said means comprising a plurality of pairs of relatively closely spaced flexible members, each of said members attached at one end thereof on the inner side of said bottom support and at the other end to the outer side of either of said side supports, each member of said member pairs wound in opposing directions with respect to the other member of said pair about said patient and having self securing detachable attachment means thereon, and a complementary member having means thereon for detachably securing each of said sling members to said complementary member, a first portion of said complementary member being permanently aflixed along the inner side of said bottom support, and a second portion of said complementary member permanently affixed along the outer side of each of said side supports, said flexible sling members being wound circumferentially about said patient in opposite directions to provide secure support when attached to each of said complementary members, said table further including a neck and shoulder support for said patient comprising a relatively narrow X-ray transparent segment attached to said bottom support and a relatively curved X-ray transparent head support having a bottom portion connected to said segment and aligned therewith, and two opposing upwardly curved side portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,573,571 2/1926 Pohl 25057 1,980,848 11/1934 Cass 25058 2,775,709 12/1956 Weigel et a1. 250-55 3,157,787 11/1964 Kendziorski et a1. 25068 FOREIGN PATENTS 961,066 6/1964 Great Britain.

WILLIAM F. LINDQUIST, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R -5. 

